Recently, I’ve been receiving a lot of emailed queries from mothers asking how they could start working from home. Often, the hope is to quit the regular office-based job and replace the office-based income with homebased income.

I’ll say this straight: If you’re looking to replace your office income with your work-at-home income, you should not be looking for a work-at-home job. You need to start your own homebased business. And it is something you should begin to do while you are still in your office job.

Why?

Because often, work-at-home jobs pay much less than a homebased business will. After all, with a work-at-home job, you are just getting a percentage of what your employer gets from the client. If you own the business, you get 100% of what the client pays.

In fact, from my experience, the only way a work-at-home job can equal an office income is if you double your office hours, which means you work 80 hours a week instead of 40.

The downside, of course, is that with a homebased business, you will need to search for clients yourself. But let me tell you this: the process for finding your own business clients is almost the same as the process for finding a work-at-home job you can live with. In both cases, you need to

search online,

send a lot of application letters and work samples, and

activate your social network.

That is why you need to start your search for a work-at-home job or business many months before you quit your office work. It’s no overnight deal.

Perhaps, the reason why a lot of people shrink from starting their own business and look for jobs instead is the fact that a business promises less financial security than a job. It’s true. Client payments get delayed. Clients themselves are seasonal. You need to learn to manage your finances. But whether you have a business or a job, that is a skill you need to learn anyway.

And though a job offers more financial security in terms of regular payments, a business offers more financial rewards in terms of payment volume.

Another problem with having your own business is that your amount of accountability gets magnified. In the case of a writing company, for instance, the writer’s work gets edited and fact checked and proofread before it is sent to the client. If the writer contacted the client directly, the writer would need to be able to edit and proofread his own work and make sure his facts are correct.

If you feel that your skills are not sufficient for you to contact clients directly, then yes, you may need to get a work-at-home job instead of start your own business … but do the job part time, while you are employed, so that your skills can be honed to the point where you can eventually stand on your own.

Then, when you quit your office job, you won’t need to look for a work-at-home job anymore. You can start your own business.

Before I attended culinary school, I always bought pre-cut chicken. First, because I could choose the parts that I like, and second because I really didn’t know how to cut a chicken up. But when I went to culinary school, they taught us how to do it. It looked easy at first but it was difficult for me. So, I practiced a lot, inspired as well by chefs who’d cut chicken as if it were a piece of cake. If they can do it, so can I! I told my mom to but whole chickens instead of those cut ones. Believe me, in the beginning, my family made fun of my chicken proportions.

But I slowly learned how to cut them properly. The thing about doing your own chicken portions is that you can control the size of your chicken. Not that you can do so much, but you know what I mean.

Caution: Raw chicken contains salmonella, so I advise that you use a separate cutting board for you chicken, wash it thoroughly after use, including your knife. Make sure to cook your chicken properly.

How to cut up a chicken

You need a knife (a sharp one please) and a separate chopping board.

Remove the parts that are hanging, like the head, neck and the wing tips.

Then, cut off the chicken tail. Foreigners don’t really eat this part, but we Filipinos love this. You can set it aside, or you may choose to not cut it yet and include it when you cut one of the chicken breasts.

Cut the skin between the thigh and breast area. Then pop the bone connecting to it. This will give you access to where you would have to cut through the skin to separate the breast from the thigh.

Cut at an angle between the drumstick and the thigh. The knee joint has a bone, and that’s where you have to cut.

Cutting the wings is easy; all you have to do is spread it and cut where the wing ends. (Again, you need a sharp knife for this.)

Cut down the middle following the chicken backbone. You could use a pair of scissors to cut through it, but a knife will do too.

You can proportion size of the chicken breast you want, then just cut through it.

For beginners, I suggest you cut the chicken first into two. Then, you remove one by one the parts. The reason why I didn’t mention this as my number one is because as time goes by, and you’ll get used to it, and it’ll be easier to remove the parts first before butchering the whole chicken.

In her Harry Potter books, J.K. Rowling was unto something when she wrote about how each wand had to be the perfect match for its witch/wizard owner. In real life, wands have to be matched to the owner, too. Mascara wands, that is. Now before you brush me off as a wacko Potter fan, allow me to elaborate.

More than the actual formula, I think it’s the mascara wand that makes a massive difference to your lashes in giving you the effect you desire. Generally, my only criterion formula-wise is that it be waterproof. I take more time in deciding on the wand shape.

For instance, when I want my lashes to look defined and well-separated, I will use a mascara that has a smaller wand, with shorter bristles. This allows me to really get to the lashline and define my lashes from root to tip.

Something like this…

Too Faced Pinpoint Lash Injection

Now when I want major volume, I will opt for a bigger, thicker wand. This will allow me to really build up my lashes and get them thick and lush after as little as one or two coats. (Me being me, I usually layer more than that.)

Here’s a picture of a wand that will get you volumized:

MAC Loud Lash

I also took a picture of these two wands side by side just to help you see the difference in their shape and size.

Too Faced (defining) on the left, MAC (volumizing) on the right. See how huge the MAC wand is?

Oh and while we’re on the topic of mascaras, nowadays, there is such a thing as lash primer. You’re supposed to apply it to your lashes first, and then follow with mascara. I tried using it once and it makes your lashes look thicker. Personally, I think you can get the same effect with multiple coats of mascara. Some lash primers have added ingredients, e.g. they claim to make your lashes longer/healthier. I haven’t used one for a long enough period of time, so I really can’t comment about that. But I’ll show you some pics of a lash primer that I pilfered from my mom.

This is an Estée Lauder one, and the tube looks like this:

And here’s a close-up shot of the wand and the formula:

You see how ghastly white it is? That’s why you have to layer mascara on top, or risk looking like a weirdo.

So when you go mascara-shopping, apart from the formula, do check out the wand that comes with the tube. Make sure it will work for the type of lash effect that you prefer.

While I am all for loving what Mother Nature has chosen to bestow—or not bestow—upon you, there are times when you can’t help but want to add a little sumthin’ sumthin’ to your look. Case in point: eyelashes. Whenever I want to look extra special or play up my eyes a bit more, I will sometimes add a pair of false eyelashes to my normal routine of eyeshadow/eyeliner/mascara. Granted, I do have a little difficulty attaching falsies to my real lashes (I find it way easier applying them unto other people’s peepers); however, when I do take the time for this extra step, I always find that the effort is worth it.

In my opinion, there are three important things to remember when it comes to false eyelashes. First, you have to measure the false lash against your own lashline; if you find that the false lash is too long for you, trim from the inside with a pair of sharp scissors. Trimming from the inside will allow you to keep the longer hairs at the outer end, so important for lifting the eye and really enhancing your look.

Second, you’ll want to invest in a good-quality eyelash glue. Cheaper falsies will usually work as well as the more expensive ones (emphasis on the word usually: I’ve tried some of the dirt-cheap ones and found them so inflexible that I couldn’t get them to follow the contour of my eye). What you want to do is spend a bit more money on the glue so that your falsies don’t come off at the most inopportune moments.

DUO waterproof eyelash adhesive

Third, you will probably need to practice attaching false eyelashes a few times before it comes easily to you. Applying falsies five minutes before you have to leave for a night-out is not a situation in which you want to find yourself, unless your fine motor skills are all in place, that is.

Now let’s run through a quick how-to:

1) Gently detach the false eyelash from its plastic tray. Trim from the inner corners, if needed.
2) Apply a fine line of glue to the entire lower edge of the lash (the part that will sit atop your own lashes), making sure to apply glue all the way to both corners of the lash.
3) Wait for 15-20 seconds until the glue becomes a bit tacky, and then lay the false lash on top of your own lashes. Secure the corners by pressing on them gently. You can use your fingers or a pair of tweezers to do this.
4) Gently press the falsies unto your own lashes so that they blend together seamlessly.
5) I use a glue that dries clear. If you find that the glue is still obvious even after it dries, you can draw a fine line of liquid eyeliner on top of it.

Here are some false eyelash styles that you can try out. I got these from the Face Shop at Php 115 each. (All of them come with a tiny tube of glue, which is nice. They also provide detailed instructions inside the box. Totally useful, if you can read Korean 😉 )

This is a pair that you can use if you want to enhance your own lashes, but still want a natural effect. What I love about these is that they’re three-quarter lashes (if I recall correctly), eliminating the need for trimming the lashes to fit my eyes.

And here’s a really dramatic pair you can use for special evening events.

And, for the times when you just want to accentuate your eyes’ outer corners or you want to control which areas of your lashline to emphasize, you can use individuals like these.

Best to apply these with a pair of tweezers to aid you in placement 🙂

Oh, and one last thing: if you’re careful about removing, cleaning, and storing your falsies, you can actually reuse them several times. Just detach them carefully (with a little help from a cotton ball soaked in warm water), remove bits of glue, and store in their original plastic tray. For purposes of hygiene, of course, it is best that you reuse only falsies which you’ve used on yourself. 🙂

When I was I kid, I loved going to church because after that, my mom would treat us to our favorite ice cream parlor (typical kid! :P). We wouldn’t eat anything out of the ordinary, just vanilla for my sister and banana split for me and my mom.

In high school, I would watch what I spent from Mondays to Thursdays because every Friday, my service mates and I will eat at our favorite fast food joint. Again, nothing expensive: just fries and a sundae.

My childhood is peppered with happy memories. And, as you may have already guessed, most of them include food. This isn’t to say that I’m a glutton for food. It’s just that whenever I think of a specific food or restaurant, some memory from my life pops up. And sometimes, I eat a certain dish not because it’s delicious, but because it reminds me of someone or something in my life.

Now that I’m a working girl and that my taste buds have become more mature, I still occasionally crave for some of the fun food I had when I was younger. Well, now I get to eat them without my mom scolding me to brush my teeth afterwards. Or her telling me to drink lots of water after eating ice cream.

Yan Yan

I love this cracker that you dip in chocolate. I know that there are better-tasting brands than this, but there’s something about Yan Yan that reminds me of my childhood. It’s like all of us ate and enjoyed this snack when we were little. I don’t know anybody who didn’t like Yan Yan.

Hopia

My family is not Chinese, but we never ran out of hopia in our household when we were kids. I particularly like the ones that my mom bought at the market, though my younger sister insists that those are dirty. Oh well, we call the ice cream being sold in the streets as dirty ice cream and yet we still eat it, so I guess it’s the same thing with the hopia.

I like monggo hopia. I don’t really like the newer flavors because I’m too content with the monggo. I feel like my ube belongs to my halo-halo or with some crackers, but as a flavor for hopia… Well, to each its own.

Durian chips

I’m not sure if they sell this certain brand everywhere, but I really love durian chips. Actually, I like durian. Even with its foul smell, I’m down with it. The first time I ate a durian I was in Singapore. I wanted to scream my lungs out when they offered me the fruit. But I couldn’t refuse because that would be very rude of me. So I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst, but I really ended up liking it.

So when I chanced upon the durian chips, I just had to taste them. They’re now in my top 10 favorite junk food of all time. They’re a little bit expensive, so I don’t really eat them often, unless my sister or my mom buy them for me.

These are just some of my favorite snacks. I haven’t even made my list of my favorite dishes—maybe next time. And please do share with me your favorite snacks too. I’m sure I’m not the only one here who tries to reminisce their childhood with food.

Admittedly, I am not the most photogenic person in the world. Add to that my current battle with acne, and you’ll understand why I was anxious about the recent photo op that took place at our office for our new IDs. On the day of the shoot (what else am I supposed to call it?), I spent a little extra time on my make-up, working hard to conceal my pimples and scars.

Having managed to make myself look presentable for my mug shot—and with the evidence to prove it (scroll down please)—I thought I’d list a few of the things I did in preparation for having my picture taken.

Ace your base. Sounds like the name of that 90s band; I couldn’t resist, sorry 🙂 Making your base as flawless as possible is key to looking good in pictures. You’ll want to carefully conceal blemishes and any discoloration, taking care to blend your concealer well into your foundation so that no part of your face is abnormally paler than the others.

Take time to define. In order to NOT look washed out in pictures, there are certain features that you need to define with product. These are your eyebrows, lashlines (both top and bottom), and lips. I filled in bare spots in my brows with a grayish-brown pencil, lined my eyes with brown liner, and stained my lips with just a bit of pink lipstick. Of course, I also applied mascara, eyeshadow, and blush/bronzer (not that my contouring was obvious, thanks to my chubby cheeks).

Classic is basic. (Okay, this rhyming thing is getting harder to sustain.) The thing about pictures is that they’ll be around for a really long time. With this in mind, I think it’s better to stick to neutral tones and not opt for shades that are too dramatic or trendy. Case in point: I used shades of peaches and browns on my lids, and soft pink on my cheeks and lips. Keep in mind that this was for an official ID, so I couldn’t really do a smoky eye, now could I? Although I volunteered to do it for an officemate whose make-up I worked on, I’m not surprised she refused 🙂

One last thing, makeup pros discourage the use of foundation/concealer with SPF in it for pictures. It seems the SPF, combined with the camera flash, results in a face that is too white, too pale, too reminiscent of ghosties. Personally, I haven’t had this experience, but I just stick to SPF-less foundation for pictures to be on the safe side.

And now, are you ready for the unveiling? Here we go…

Apart from that pimple above my left eyebrow (which I’m officially claiming is a birthmark which I’ve had since…erm, birth), I think I did okay. Looking at it, you wouldn’t know that I have a bit of an acne situation at the moment.

I’ve barely had time to go out these past few months. Aside from the fact that I really need to save up, work’s been consuming most of my waking hours. I seriously wonder how working moms do it. I’m not a mom yet and still I feel like I’m always exhausted at the end of the day. Truly, these women deserve an award.

On with my story. I love watching movies. But ever since I started with my new job, I’ve already missed more than a dozen films. I already don’t cook regularly and now, I’m also missing my movies?!? I guess “frustrated” is an mild word if we’re talking about how I feel these days.

I’m thankful for the Internet because at least, I get to watch videos once in a while. Don’t worry, I don’t like to illegally download stuff. I’m content with whatever’s available in the Internet for free. And believe me, there’s a lot. Cable TV helps too. Most of the foreign channels show recently-released movies, and I’m happier when they show those independent ones. I’m a sucker for foreign Indie movies. So, since I can no longer go to the movie houses, I end up bringing the movie house to the comforts of my own room. Well, to be precise, to the comforts of my living room.

That’s because I eat while watching and I don’t like bringing food inside my room. I feel like if I eat inside my bedroom, aside from the smell sticking to all its four corners, ants will definitely appear out of nowhere. And that I seriously abhor.

My normal movie night will consist of junk food, water (I avoid drinking soda) and sometimes chocolates or pastries. But nothing that will produce so much crumbs. I don’t want to end up with crumbs all over my shirt after the movie. I also like fruits, but they take a little more preparation because I have to peel them before the movie starts. That and they make me feel full easily so I end up asleep before the movie ends.

But, in my opinion, fruits and movies are a good combination for people who need a vitamin boost. My sister isn’t fond of fruits. But whenever I prepare them for our movie night, she’d end up eating most of it. Wouldn’t it be great if you could do that for your kids? Make them watch their favorite cartoon shows while you give them something healthy to munch on. They wouldn’t notice it, believe me! My sister is my perfect example of that.

While watching a movie too, I can multitask. I don’t know how I do it, but even when I’m doing 2-3 things at the same time, I can still focus on the movie. Since I bring paperwork home, I find myself working more effectively when I’m in front of the television. But this is just me. Kids shouldn’t be watching TV when they’re doing their homework. For working people like us, though, sometimes time is really the enemy. If you can multitask, then I think that’s an advantage.

I realize that complaining and sulking about my now-busier life won’t do me any good. I can still do all the things that I love—I just need to learn how to compromise. Life is never just simple and it really isn’t that complicated either. We just have to learn how to put things in perspective. Now, on to my next movie.